Speakers announced for opening session at Seatrade Cruise Asia

London (30 March 2016) - A number of influential figures from the international cruise community have been officially announced as speakers for the eagerly anticipated opening conference session at Seatrade Cruise Asia, taking place from 12 – 13 May 2016 in Busan, South Korea.

Taking place on the first day of discussions, key cruise industry professionals will be addressing hot trends and topics affecting Korea and the wider Asian market. As the cruise lines continue to deploy more cruise ships and schedule more voyages, the outlook for cruise tourism remains incredibly strong for this dynamic and exciting region. To ensure the industry stays at the forefront of developments, an expert-panel will be looking at:

How big can the Asian source markets become by 2020?

The diversity of Asia and the need to differentiate between markets

What is the likely future pattern of cruise tourism development in China and what kinds of products and itineraries will appeal most to Chinese consumers?

Can we expect to see more Asian new entrants to the cruise market?

How can the Korean and other Asian economies maximise the benefits of cruise tourism?

What is the nature and scale of the opportunity for Asian shipyards in cruise ship construction?

The opening session will be preceded by a series of welcome and keynote addresses presented by Professor JON Joon Soo, Chair Professor of Business School at Sogang University, Republic of Korea; Chairman of Commissioners of Busan Port Authority; Chairman of Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and Dr Zinan LIU, President, North APAC & China, Royal Caribbean International & Chairman, CLIA North Asia.

12-13 May 2016 sees Seatrade Cruise Asia take place at the International Passenger Terminal in Busan, Korea. This event is a combination of the previous Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific and Seatrade All Asia Cruise Conventions. Seatrade Cruise Asia is an annual cruise industry event purely focused on Asia and comprises of an exhibition, conference, networking and travel agent training. The exhibition will also be open to the general public on Saturday 14 May.

Seatrade Cruise Asia forms part of the series of global Seatrade events, websites and publications that covers every aspect of the cruise and maritime industries, bringing together key people to encourage innovation and to produce powerful learning, networking and promotional platforms. Founded in 1970, the Seatrade brand is part of the events portfolio for the world's second largest media and event organiser, UBM.